May 28th, 2010

As is the case in treating any degenerative disease, the most important things to consider are detoxification and nutrition, with appropriate exercise and a stress-free life-style if you can get it.

Many people who have degeneration of the eye-sight simply give up hope of restoring their eye-sight, believing that they have to live with the condition as it gradually worsens with each passing year. But there is much that can be done to prevent and treat eye conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma , especially if you can recognize the warning signs early in the piece.

Early signs might be that you have lost clear focus, or the vision has become distorted. There might be a black, empty spot in your field of vision, or several small black dots.

Raw Food: Raw foods should form the bulk of the diet, as these help the detoxification process, whilst providing plenty of essential enzymes, vitamin C, and other nutrients which are needed for the reparation of the eye cells. If you cannot stomach too much raw food, then eat your vegetables lightly steamed.

Detoxification : There are many different techniques for detoxification. I recommend castor oil, taken in a two tablespoon dose every second day to help with the cleansing process. Castor oil also has remarkable healing properties which will help your eye-sight to restore itself, even when taken internally, as in a cleansing technique. It helps carry the nutrients throughout the body, which ensures that your eyes, too, will get benefit from them.

An Ayurvedic remedy for the eyes is to put just one drop of castor oil into each eye last thing at night, before you shut your eyes to sleep. This remedy is reputed to be helpful in preventing cataracts of the eye, and also in treating them, if you catch the cataract at the early stage.

Castor oil acts as a pathway, bridgeing the gaps where cells have been damaged so that nutrients can be carried across the damaged cells, to assist their recovery. Taking a dose of castor oil once a week or so can help your eyesight.

Nutrition : Diet is all-important in treating and preventing macular degeneration and other disease. As we shall see, green vegetables and carrots top the list of vegetables for nourishing the eyes.

Lutein is thought to be the most valuable nutrient to prevent macular degeneration. It is found in leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, silver beet and comfrey.

Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, green peas, celery and broad beans are also high in lutein. Ideally, we need to include a good helping of one or two of these greens with at least one meal a day for enough cell-repairing lutein to reach the eyes and work its healing.

Comfrey is especially high in lutein, silica and other cell-enhancing elements which are valuable in restoring eye- sight. If you can get some, take a cup of comfrey tea daily. The weak, cooled tea can be used as an eye wash and the mushed, cooked and cooled leaves used as a poultice on the eyes for five minutes several times a week. If you cannot get comfrey, try using borage leaves instead, and prepare and use as a tea in the same way as for comfrey, only do not use borage as an eye poultice. Cucumber slices placed over the eyes for five minutes have a healing effect on the eye tissues.

The other essential ingredient for eye health is carotene. The greens mentioned above all contain carotene as well as other essential minerals and vitamins. However, you just can’t beat carrots for improving the eye-sight, and this is why carrots were fed to the fighter pilots during the second world war. Eating carrots daily improved the night vision of the pilots. Follow suit and eat carrots every day to experience the optimum in vision which your eyes offer you.

Fish oils and proteins are essential for the maintenance of good eye-sight. You really need those Omega 3 fatty acids to keep your eyes and brain healthy. The eyes respond well to a protein-rich diet, especially when high fibre and lutein-rich greens accompany the meal.

Nuts and fish are some of the best nutritive protetins for the eyes and brain. Small fish such as sardines in oil, and mackerel, are very good because you get additional calcium from eating the bones. Iodine is important for eye health: eating fish and fish oils will give you an iodine boost as well. Olive oil, grapeseed oil and avocado- oil or fruit, all contain fats which benefit the eyes.

Two raw egg yolks taken daily with your meal, or in a smoothie, will help the eye tissues to restore themselves. Egg yolk contains lecithin, which is needed to process fats and oils. Do not use the egg white raw. This dietary supplement is very good for people who do not eat meat, or who are on limited diets to treat serious conditions. Walter Last recommended raw egg yolk for people as part of a diet to treat cancer and other degenerative disease. Raw foods formed the basis of this diet, with the addition of calf liver juice. If you were keen to follow a strict regime such as this, you would need to have the support and advice of a trained naturopath or health professional. I would recommend the castor oil regime, taken every second day, with raw food, raw egg yolk, and almonds forming the basis of the diet. If it is done carefully and faithfully, this diet, I believe, will cure even macular degeneration. Read Dr.Max Gerson’s book to get some nitty gritty on the success of this type of treatment.

Eating garlic with meals helps to clear the sinuses which thus has a beneficial effect on the eyesight. Any of the allium family, that is, garlic, leeks, onions, spring onions, or chives, help to keep bacteria at bay and stimulate not only the digestion but also the brain and the eye nerves.

Vitamin B 12 has been found to be of major importance in treating eye disease. It can halt the worsening of an eye trouble. Glaucoma patients, especially, have benefited from a standard dosage of a B 12 supplement. The B vitamins are essential because they help you lower stress experience.

Take Vitamin C in a non-acidic form daily: Two divided doses of 500 mg to 1000 mg each. Vitamin C has the added benefit, apart from its healing properties, of acting as a mild tranquilizer and stress reliever. Stress hinders recovery, so allow yourself time for everything, including meditation, or yoga, so that you do not become stressed.

Too muchcoffee, or alcohol, and medicinal drugs, can cause macular degeneration or a general weakening of the eye-sight. Caffeine should be avoided or reduced to a minimum to protect your vision from becoming impaired. If you already have sight deterioration, then you are best to completely eliminate caffeine and alcohol, and medicinal drugs if your doctor allows it, from your diet.

Coffee and alcohol have the effect of dehydrating the body, which affects the eyes and the brain. Make sure you drink adequate amounts of good water each day, instead of going for the stimulants. Your eye-sight will reward you.

You can become a tea tippler rather than a coffee drinker: Polyphenols which are found in tea work as anti-oxidants and have been proven to have anti-cancer properties. Regular tea which contains tannin, is more healthy than de-caffeinated tea, as the polphenol content is higher in the untreated product. Cold, used tea bags of either green tea, or ceylon tea, also have a healing effect on the eyes when used as a pack for five minutes. You can do this several times a week, or even daily, to help regenerate eye tissue and revitalize the nerve functions.

Green Tea helps eyesight: Green tea is a general tonic for the nervous system. Building and maintaining a healthy nervous system benefits your eyesight. You can take anything from two to ten cups a day. Personally, I think that two cups a day is enough, but research done in New Zealand has shown that ten cups of green tea a day provides enough epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG to be effective in the regulating of the glucose mechanism, and so we can assume that ten cups a day of green tea is O.K.

Rose hip tea, if you can get it in tea bags, is another very good thing to use (cooled) over the eyes once you have enjoyed your cup of herb tea. Rose hips contain high amounts of vitamin C. Even when dried and infused, the dregs still contain traces of vitamin C and other agents which aid healing.

Castor Oil and Ghee Oil: These oils have a healing effect on the eyes. They can be applied as a pack and left over the eyes for a period; or one drop of either oil can be put into the eyes at night-time. Both these oils are used in ayurvedic medicine and have been used to prevent cataracts and stop them from worsening. Castor oil and ghee oil have a lubricating and soothing effect on the eye tissues.

3 Responses to “Help Your Eyesight”

I have recently been diagnosed having glaucoma. This is an informative article however I am confused about which remedies would be best for this condition. Also, I saw an online “infomercial ” on what appeared to look like tea bags that should be placed on eyes for 7 days that would repair ones retina so vision would be restored to 20/20. Have worn glasses or contacts for nearly 50 years resulting in worse vision. Am now 63 years old however have always exercised. Would greatly appreciate any information you could provide. (Did NOT watch entire infomercial as it talked about everything but the cure itself) would also like to know what type of tea bag would restore vision. Thank you